Point cloud colorization system with real-time 3D visualization

Abstract

Enabling colorization and color adjustments on 3D point clouds, which are projected onto a 2D view with an equirectangular projection. A user may color regions on the 2D view and preview the changes immediately in a 3D view of the point cloud. Embodiments render the color of each point in the point cloud by testing whether the 2D projection of the point is inside the colored region. Applications may include generation of a color 3D virtual reality environment using point clouds and color-adjusted imagery.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A point cloud colorization system with real-time 3D visualization, comprising:
 a processor; 
 a memory connected to the processor; and, 
 a display connected to the processor and to the memory; 
 wherein the processor is configured to 
 store a point cloud comprising a plurality of points; 
 display the point cloud in a 3D view window on the display; 
 project the point cloud onto a 2D plane to form a projected point cloud comprising a plurality of projected points; 
 display the projected point cloud in a 2D view window on the display; 
 receive a region of the 2D view window selected by a user; 
 receive a color selected by the user; 
 display in the 2D view window the selected region in the selected color; 
 display in the 3D view window at least one point in the point cloud using the selected color. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one projected point of the projected point cloud corresponds to a point in the point cloud. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2 , wherein a point in the point cloud displayed in the 3D view window using the selected color corresponds to a projected point of the projected point cloud. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein for a point displayed in the 3D view window using the selected color:
 the memory includes data for that point in 3D view window data, 
 the memory includes data for that point in point cloud data, 
 the processor updates the 3D view window data for that point with data for the selected color, 
 the processor does not update the point cloud data for that point with data for the selected color. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the 3D view window corresponds to a view of the point cloud from a viewpoint, and the viewpoint is modifiable by the user. 
     
     
       6. A method of colorizing a point with real-time 3D visualization, comprising:
 storing a point cloud comprising a plurality of points in a memory connected to a processor; 
 displaying the point cloud in a 3D view window on a display connected to the memory and to the processor; 
 generating a projected point cloud comprising a plurality of projected points by projecting the point cloud onto a 2D plane; 
 displaying the projected point cloud in a 2D view window on the display; 
 receiving a region of the 2D view window selected by a user; 
 receiving a color selected by the user; 
 displaying in the 2D view window the selected region in the selected color; 
 displaying in the 3D view window at least one point in the point cloud using the selected color. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein at least one projected point of the projected point cloud corresponds to a point in the point cloud. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein a point in the point cloud displayed in the 3D view window using the selected color corresponds to a projected point of the projected point cloud. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein for a point displayed in the 3D view window using the selected color:
 the memory includes data for that point in 3D view window data, 
 the memory includes data for that point in point cloud data, 
 the processor updates the 3D view window data for that point with data for the selected color 
 the processor does not update the point cloud data for that point with data for the selected color. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the 3D view window corresponds to a view of the point cloud from a viewpoint, and further comprising
 receiving a change to the viewpoint by the user; and 
 displaying the point cloud in the 3D view window using the changed viewpoint.